The communication aspects of the "Dead Poets Society"

The film is set in the year 1959 in a Vermont boarding school named Welton Academy. This academy is a very strict all boys school that demands the most out of every student so that they are completely ready for university. The term that this takes place in welcomes a new English teacher, Mr. John Keating who attended Welton himself, and follows the transfer student Todd Anderson whose brother was one of Welton’s finest students. Todd’s roommate is Neil Perry, who comes from a middle-class family that made multiple sacrifices to put him into Welton. Neil’s father is extremely strict with his son and dictates his schooling and extracurricular activities. Friends of Neil, and later Todd, include Charlie Dalton the rambunctious one, Knox Overstreet the romantic, the very smart ones Steven Meeks and Richard Cameron, and Gerald Pitts. The movie follows the seven friends through the school term starting with how strict and very stressful the courses and teachers are then showing the drastic difference of Mr. Keating. The movie remains on the lives of the boys, mainly focusing on Keating’s class and how he wishes for his students to become free thinkers which leads to many different issues with the friends.

This essay intends to examine different aspects of Social Psychology in the film, Dead Poets Society. Released in 1989, this film provides a look at the culture of an Eastern preparatory school, and how a charismatic leader can utilize minority influence to inspire a mass of students. Interactions between characters exhibit many phenomena evident of social psychology, such as how a person can influence a situation and vice versa; social influence; conformity; situational strength; the human need for individuality and to be unique. These different types of interactions all define Social Psychology, and are exhibited in every unique situation.

Joseph Campbell’s treatise on the 12 stages of the making of a hero, introduced in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, formulates his classic archetype of the monomyth in describing the journey and transformation that a character must endure to emerge in triumphant fulfillment of an odyssey or quest. These journeys are deftly manifested in two works of different mediums, John Knowles’ A Separate Peace and Dead Poets’ Society, a film by Peter Weir (hereafter referred to as ASP and DPS, respectively). Both these works, though offered in different formats, closely follow Campbell’s template for the hero’s transformation. Using the universal themes of coming of age, the fall from innocence and ultimately a measure of redemption, these two tales

Ralph Waldo Emerson, a leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the nineteenth century, once expresses his opinion on nonconformity when he wrote, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” His words express what many people have aspired to be. These words from Ralph Waldo Emerson highlight the idea of nonconformity which is one of the main pillars of the . Humans, having naturally social instincts, find it challenging to risk going against the crowd for fear of isolation, so Transcendental ideas can be difficult to execute amid the pressures of society. Ideas from this movement, particularly nonconformity, are some of the main themes in Dead Poets Society directed by Peter Weir. While Neil’s character in Dead Poets Society initially displays characteristics of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Transcendentalist ideas from “Self-Reliance,” he fails to continue his Transcendental endeavors proving that while Transcendentalism is possible, society ultimately causes individuals to conform.

Mr. Keating also trains students to look beyond the textbook with the power of individualism and self-reliance. He expects them to constantly look for new perspectives and be aware of their surroundings. During one lesson, he begins, “I stand upon my desk to remind yourself that we must constantly look at things in a different way,” which conveys that everyone can live and perceive the world in a “different way” that makes them a unique individual. Additionally, Mr. Keating tells his students that they have their own freedom of independent thinking. After the class rips out the Introduction to Poetry from their textbooks, Mr. Keating declares, “Now in my class, you will learn to think for yourselves again.” He says this to show how his teaching will reflect self-thought instead of

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words describe what many people aspire to be. This idea of nonconformity is one of the main pillars of Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is one of the main themes in the movie Dead Poets Society directed by Peter Weir. Many characters in the movie display Transcendental ideas. However, it is very difficult with the pressures of society. While Neil’s character in Dead Poets Society initially displays aspects of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Transcendentalist ideas from Self-Reliance, eventually he fails to continue his Transcendental endeavors proving that while Transcendentalism is possible, society ultimately causes many to conform.

What keeps Keating from adopting the schools ideals as his own are his strong personal values, and his Trickster personality. This personality allows him to get his message across to the boys. Keating does not believe in the conformist nature of the school. He does not want to teach the boys what to think, but rather how to think. He does not allow them to rate

The Dead Poets Society focuses on society’s oppression and how it affects individuals. There are many sociological factors that are seen in this movie such as, strain theory, symbolic interactionism, and conflict theory. This movie opens people’s viewpoints of life and brings them to a new perspective by showing these sociological factors and how they take place.

The wave and dead poets’ society respectively show the struggle between the concepts of individuality and conformity. The book and movie adopt different techniques and concepts to help deliver their messages. These include the similar themes in both such as the use of a school setting, the teacher figure who encourages students to either conform or rebel and individual characters struggling to be themselves in a conformist setting.

Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence. Those are the four pillars in the film The Dead Poets Society, which takes place at Welton Academy, a prep school located in Vermont, 1959. The Headmaster of the school is Mr. Nolan, who is very strict and traditional leader. The film focuses around a group of boys that attend Welton, who later reinstate the Dead Poets Society (DPS). The boys are Neil Perry, Todd Anderson, Charlie Dalton, Richard Cameron, Pitts, Meeks, and Knox Overstreet. Two of the lead boys are Neil Perry and Todd Anderson. Another main character is Mr. Keating, who is the new poetry teacher at Welton Academy. He encourages his students to become their own individuals and seize the day. Mr. Keating is an alumni of Welton. When the boys find his old yearbook, they discover that he was in the Dead Poets Society, which leads them to confront him on what it is. Mr. Keating reveals that it was made by people dedicated to sucking the marrow out of life, that they would read poetry together and let it drip from their tongues like honey. The boys decide to start their own DPS. Neil is a very outspoken and charismatic boy, who is the leader of the DPS. Todd, Neil’s roommate, is very quiet and shy. Each boy struggles with individuality. Both of them are very dynamic, changing drastically throughout the film. The Dead Poets Society focuses on the social issue of personal voice and independance and how gaining it or losing is can change a person.

Dead Poet Society (Weir, 1989) is a movie about a shy teenager named Todd Anderson, who has to live up to his older overachiever brother’s reputation. Todd goes on to attend the same school where his brother graduated as a valedictorian-The Welton Academy for boys. The semester begins with an orientation assembly speech from the unyielding Headmaster Nolan, who highlights the academy’s four pillars: Tradition, Discipline, Excellence and Honor.

As a student studying Intercultural Communications, films can be a great resource. Often showing interaction between people from different cultures, the advantage of films is that they can highlight, focus, entertain and inspire us in ways that help us become more thoughtful about the people and cultures that we encounter. (Quast, B.) This is a film analysis of the cultural clashes and communication challenges that exists due to cultural differences between the mothers and their daughters.

The way Professor Keating taught was successful in the way that he made his students realize that they need to live their own lives. . An example is when he teaches the boys "Carpe Diem (Seize the day)." In the movie, Tim repeatedly says that when he is trying to win over a girl. Keating is successful because he teaches Tim to go after what he wants and Tim was persistent enough to keep at it and winds up getting her. Another example is when Neil decides to be an actor in a play. Even though his father is against it, Neil does is anyway cause he knows he has what it takes and he feels he has nothing to lose. I feel that if Keating did not teach his students to be themselves, Neil would have never gone against his father and he would have never enjoyed his life. When Neil kills himself at the end I think the blame is on his father because he would not let him do what he wants to do in his heart, he wasn’t being supportive of his sons wants. I feel that Keating had a very positive influence on him. Because of Keatings teachings, his students learned to live their own lives to the fullest.

The statement that conformity and tradition are in opposition to individualism and defiance of authority is very true in The Dead Poet Society, and even more so in today’s society in general. One can walk into any high school and see this is true. In a typical high school, people seem to have very much in common, especially in dress, hair style, etc… which is in opposition to individualism in and of itself. People are so caught up in conforming to how society says they should live their lives, it really tarnishes the spirit of individuality human beings are meant to have.

Intercultural communication is commonly explained as an interaction between people of 'different cultures whether defined in terms of racial, ethnic or socioeconomic differences.' Human communication consists of verbal and nonverbal messages (language and gestures) which are shaped by gender, social class or culture. Thus, what perimeters define the intercultural exchange and what primary messages do we need or try to convey?